PICKENS COUNTY — The number of people without jobs in Pickens County has nearly doubled since this time last year, according to the latest report from the S.C. Employment Security Commission.
The unemployment rate rose an entire percent over last month, from 10.2 percent to 11.2 percent, according to the report, reflecting that about 698 more people have lost their jobs in the past 30 days.
A year ago, the unemployment rate was 6 percent.
The overall state unemployment rate continues to be higher than the county’s but it did not rise as much in the last month, with only a slight increase from 12.0 percent to 12.1 percent, according to the report.
“We are still in the grip of this recession, as evidenced by the continued job josses in retail trade, manufacturing and construction,” said Roosevelt T. Halley, Executive Director of the commission.
“We are hopeful that the leveling of the unemployment rate over the past two months may be an indication that we are approaching the bottom of this prolonged downward cycle,” he said.
South Carolina has one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation, ranked 48th, with only Oregon, Rhode Island and Michigan faring worse.
On the state level, however, Pickens County is in better shape than many other areas across South Carolina, with only eight counties having a lower unemployment rate.
Allendale County has the highest, at 23.5 percent.
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